Why do we dream what we dream?

I am a normal person who dreams regularly (thankfully, no nightmares!). Sometimes, i do remember the dreams the next day and most of the times, they are even more outlandish than a typical Bollywood movie. But, one thing which has always been the case is that some aspect of the dream would always be something which i had done or been involved with in the near past.
For example, if i were preparing for a dumb-c event, then i would not only stop at dreaming about codes, but also wake up (actually asleep) , then awaken Vidhya and ask her to decode something which i mime! Similarly, for puzzle events, i have actually got some good ideas for puzzles from the dreams.
But, a few days earlier, i had a dream which went something like this. I was traveling in a bus and got a ticket from the conductor. There was a guy next to me who suddenly dropped some coins into my hand and then asked me to hold on to them for few minutes. I, of course, wasn't interested and tried to put back the coins in his hand. But, he was avoiding this and saying "one minute, please" and so on. Then, i noticed some movement behind me and felt a hand on my pant's back pocket. I realized that someone was trying to take the wallet out of my pocket. I quickly turned around and punched the guy in his face. At this time, i came out of the dream.
No, i didn't wake up, but i went into "Analysis of the dream" mode while i was asleep. i started wondering as to why i had this dream. I had never been part of such an experience. No one had ever picked my pocket nor had i seen someone do it. i was surprised, as this ploy seemed perfect for a pickpocket gang with one member working to distract the person while another takes the wallet. Is it a sign of things to come? I dunno!

high speed internet - wow!

My first post through the DSL connection at home. Don't be surprised, i have survived so many years on the internet on dial-up. Okay, i use the office connection too, but all the internet activity from home has been on dial-up.
Finally, after the arrival of Akshara, i had move to high speed internet, as the demand for photos could just not be met through dial-up. I have always been slow for catching up on technology. When the world moved to the iphones, i moved from the Nokia 3310 to the wap-enabled Nokia 3330, not that i needed/used WAP. Sometime early this year, i was forced to change phones, as the usually very resilient Nokia 3330 didn't survive a 4 floor fall. So, i got myself a Nokia 6610 released just 5 years ago, a very new model for my standards.
Compared to my way with phones, i have been pretty okay with respect to cameras. The Nikon coolpix 2500, a trendy and stylish 2 MP camera was released late february 2002 and i purchased it around mid-march and instantly became the trendsetter. Similarly, when i upgraded to Nikon D70, which was incidentally the camera of the year 2004, i was one of the very few (in my office circle) who had a digital SLR.
Okay, now that i have the DSL, let me put it to good use. Searching for BBC documentaries ...

Introducing Akshara Rajaram

If i had been missing from the blogging scene for a while, it was for a reason. The reason is the birth of my daughter Akshara on 23rd August. After her birth, she has been keeping us busy day and night. But, in the middle of all this, i did find time to start a website in her time.
By modern standards, i would have failed in my duty as a father if i hadn't done so. So, here goes, Akshara's very own personal blog called Child's Play. Do drop in there from time to time for updates and photos of Akshara!